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whchris

duke i have a heat question for you

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whchris

ok duke or anyone else who knows about heating systems i have a quick question im the milk room at the barn we have been using an electric heater for years to keep the water pipes from freezing last year i put an electric hot water tank in (huge step up) my question is can i run a base board radiator off the hwh? and just have it recirculate into the tank? or would this cause problems im not thinking of?

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Lockman

It is possable using a circulator and aquastat to control circ. However, water recovery on an electric water heater is only in the 5 to 6 GPH range depending on wattage, not desirable for heating purposes, very expensive method of heating. Domestic water heaters are not designed for space heating though I have seen it done. ( Code violation if heater is used for potable water and ran through a radiator FWIW)

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whchris

im thinking anythings gonna be better than the space heater and since the water heater is running anyway i dont see too much of a cost increase its a 40 gal in a 12x6' rm so i dont need much to heat it the water is never used for drinking just cleaning and its a dairy barn so everything is a code violation anyways

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Lockman

im thinking anythings gonna be better than the space heater and since the water heater is running anyway i dont see too much of a cost increase its a 40 gal in a 12x6' rm so i dont need much to heat it the water is never used for drinking just cleaning and its a dairy barn so everything is a code violation anyways

There you have it! If your just looking to keep a small area habitable then you'll be ok. You really should use a surface mounted aquastat on the return pipe to shut the circ. off on temp drop, if not the heater will just burn 24/7 on a chilly day.

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whchris

cool then i have the parts to do this now to find the time, the electric bill is in for the first round of electric heaters and none of the infa red is running yet and yikes!

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Bow_Extreme

We did this in a milking parlor I use to work in. We put in an extra large water heater, plumbed in lengths of radiant copper tubing, plumbed in a pump, and heated the parlor, the tank room, and a couple other rooms with no problem for not alot of money. It worked great even at 0 Degrees outside. :notworthy:

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HorseFixer

Chris, I have seen this done in certain fashions many times before. The state of Michigan sent me and all HVAC contractors awhile back warnings to not use a Residential Water Heater as a Boiler Heating Appliance <_< They tend to frown on doing that. A boiler has several varations of safety controls that a water heater does not require. (1) pressure reducing valve. A Residential HW Boiler runs at max 30psi. (2) Low water cut off. prevents firing the boiler in the case of low water. (3) Expansion Tank with air seperation. (4) Auto air vents. Vents air that can be trapped in line and can be entrained in the water and prevents proper heat distribution and heat transfer. (5) Most boilers run at 180 deg. With A water heater this is a little warm. (6) air vents at highest point in system. (7) You usually control the room temp with a thermostat, and with a Boiler this is normally Low Voltage. With an Electric water heater this would require a 2 pole contactor, and as Lockman mentioned an Aquastat control With a Bell & Gossett rec pump, Taco or simular and I would add a High Limit in for good measure. A Residential Water Heater will be abot 35 to 40,000 btu per hr and an Electric will be around 30,000 at best. Yeas that should be enough to do that room.... So back to the question have I seen this done? Yes all the time. Is it right? I would say no. If something happened what would yer insurance co say? :notworthy: There is just alot of things to consider so be careful!

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whchris

well my plan was to just have it loop back to the tank with a pump but not pressurize it beyond what was there i could do an expansion tank i do have one the best i have room for is a 6 foot baseboard and the water heater is running anyway the waters never used for more than washing buckets and hands all the sterilization of the milking equipment happens in a different sink with an on demand heater that runs the water at 190 degrees for sterilization just a thought to cut costs this year i dont even know if im going to have time to get it done i will set some limits and what not maybe even an aquastat to kill the heaters in the tank if the temp runs high insurance may be the other issue im really thinking this barn needs concrete in the front anyways maybe it will get radiant in floor at the same time :notworthy:

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